Land Rover to Mix Nameplates with Modern LR2

Land Rover could drop the Freelander nameplate it uses outside North America, where the SUV goes with LR2 badge, to refill the Discovery line. 

The brand-new car will run on a stretched variant of the base underpinning the Evoque and according to Carsbase, the car will appear late next year. Land Rover cancelled the Freelander name in the U.S. stores in 2006 with the second-gen vehicle.

Land Rover’s solution to unite the two vehicles together will assist to consolidate the auto maker’s wide and sometimes strange product portfolio. When the change occurs, it will leave the Range Rover cars to account for high-end luxury sales while the Discovery line will provide a more rugged option with both 5 and 7-seat SUVs.

It isn’t known for sure if the LR2 and LR4 will be united in with the name change or stay as labelled. A Land Rover representative rejected to comment, inforing only that the Carsbase story included “unconfirmed product speculation.”

The current LR2 is enhanced by a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4 cylinder motor with 240 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque.